Fischer v. Industrial Com'n of Illinois

• Decision Date: 31 March 1986
• Docket Number: No. 1-85-2112,1-85-2112
• Parties: , 96 Ill.Dec. 873 Diana K. FISCHER, a/k/a Diana K. Woods as mother and natural guardian of Amy, Christopher, Patrick and Nancy Fischer, minor children of G. Gordon Fischer, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION OF ILLINOIS and Signode Corporation, Defendants-Appellees. WC.
• Court: United States Appellate Court of Illinois

Page 1333

491 N.E.2d 1333

142 Ill.App.3d 298, 96 Ill.Dec. 873

Diana K. FISCHER, a/k/a Diana K. Woods as mother and natural guardian of Amy, Christopher, Patrick and Nancy Fischer, minor children of G. Gordon Fischer, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION OF ILLINOIS and Signode Corporation Defendants-Appellees.

No. 1-85-2112 WC.

Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Industrial Commission Division.

March 31, 1986.

Frank J. Wiedner, Richard J. Leamy, Jr., Wiedner & McAuliffe, Ltd., Chicago, for plaintiff-appellant.

John P. Roddy, Roddy, Power & Leahy, Ltd., Chicago, for defendants-appellees.

Justice McNAMARA delivered the opinion of the court:

Petitioner, Diana K. Fischer, is the widow of the decedent G. Gordon Fischer, and the mother and natural guardian of their four children. Decedent was an employee of respondent Signode Corporation. On June 19, 1976, decedent collapsed at a golf weekend sponsored by the Signode Management Association (SMA), and he subsequently died. Petitioner filed an application for adjustment of claim under the Workers' Compensation Act. (Ill.Rev.Stat.1975, ch. 48, par. 138.1 et seq. ) The arbitrator denied compensation. On review, the Industrial Commission affirmed the decision of the arbitrator, and the circuit court of Cook County confirmed the Commission's decision. On appeal, petitioner contends that Signode is sufficiently involved with the SMA and the golf outing so that decedent's illness constituted an injury arising out of and in the course of his employment.

The purpose of SMA included informing employees of Signode's current operations and future plans; allowing employees to increase their personal development by serving on SMA committees; and providing the employees with "added personal enjoyment, relaxation, and a change of pace," thereby offering "a means for key employees in various divisions to become better acquainted." SMA was directed by a management committee composed of Signode's vice-presidents. Signode's president approved the appointment of SMA's president. In addition to the management committee, SMA had a general program committee and four chapter program committees. Membership in SMA required that the employee be a "key individual who is recommended by a corporate officer and is approved by the management committee." There is no membership drive. Some people who are eligible choose not to become members.

Signode provided 75% of SMA's funding, and each member was required to contribute $25 annually in order to encourage attendance at SMA meetings. Signode had no control over how SMA used the money. SMA conducted a wide variety of activities, including seminars, chapter meetings covering industry-related topics, general meetings taking place during regular working hours, dinner dances, resort weekends, and a year-end meeting where corporate officers addressed Signode's future plans. The only solicitation for attendance at the social events was a "bulletin-type announcement."

Defendant attended the resort weekend in question at Burlingshire, Wisconsin in June 1976. The bulletin announcing the weekend called it one of "fun and games" and emphasized "this is your outing, and we want to be certain that our plans include something for everyone who attends." No scheduled speeches or meetings were listed in the bulletin's list of activities. The employees paid half the cost of the weekend while Signode paid the other half. Decedent did not attend the Friday night dinner. Robert Dinsmore, past president of SMA who was in charge of the outing, testified that no speeches were given at the dinner. Edwin Wedley, an SMA member, testified that the SMA president welcomed everyone at dinner and that someone else said a few words about the weekend activities. Raymond Newhouse, another SMA member, testified that there was a speakers' table and that he thought someone gave a little speech about their distribution operation. No business meetings were held that weekend. Dinsmore testified that 100 to 105 of the 330 eligible SMA members attended that weekend. Decedent arrived Saturday morning to play golf in a foursome which he had arranged. Before finishing the round, he collapsed and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An SMA memorandum concerning a golf outing held in 1971 stated that the trip had provided "a frank response from the membership of SMA to the question of whether the organization was reaching the various objectives established for it." Guy Keefer, a member of SMA, stated that this was not the purpose of the 1976 golf outing. Keefer knew nothing about a general policy regarding the purpose of golf outings, and he disagreed with the statement in the 1971 memorandum. The 1971 memorandum attached a written summary of viewpoints expressed by employees at an SMA meeting. The viewpoints included a desire to explore the idea of giving a day off for 3-day golf weekends in the future for those of supervisory rank as an earned privilege. The summary of comments depicted the weekend as an enjoyable occasion at which Signode managers gathered under relaxed conditions to discuss mutual problems and expand friendships. The summary also referred to the need of a better selling job being done to improve attendance. The summary also stated there were "two goals that seem to conflict, (a) the advancement of technical knowledge in a given area, and (b) the enlargement of friendships within the company for both business and personal advantage, [and] the second is more important."

Dr. Nathaniel Greenberg stated in his medical report that decedent suffered a fatal cardiac arrest, possibly secondary to a myocardial infarction which may have been precipitated by a business trip during the week, the Saturday morning drive to Wisconsin and carrying heavy golf clubs from the car to the golf cart. Dr. William B. Buckingham stated in his report that nothing in the record either established or refuted any of the possible causes of death. He noted that no autopsy was performed, and that death could have been caused by anything from peptic ulcers to a central nervous system vascular disease or to arsenic poisoning. Dr. Buckingham stated that the Wisconsin death certificate listed "coronary arrest" as the cause of death, but that he was unaware of the existence of such a cause of death. He concluded that there was "absolutely no relationship between the patient's work activities [during the week], his golf activities, and his ultimate death, whatever the cause might have been." Dr. Gerry A. Smyth also found no relationship between decedent's golfing and death. He stated that the "[s]udden death might have also occurred even though he remained at home in bed * * *."

After a hearing, the arbitrator found that the SMA sponsored the golf outing in keeping with its goal to provide relaxation for the employees. No business functions were scheduled, and no business clients were allowed to attend. The arbitrator also found that attendance was purely voluntary, and that Signode did nothing to encourage attendance. The arbitrator concluded that petitioner had failed to prove that decedent's death was caused by an accident which arose out of and in the course of decedent's employment, and compensation was denied.

On review, the Commission found that SMA received 75% of its funding from Signode [96 Ill.Dec. 876] and 25% from members' dues. SMA management committee meetings were conducted during the working day, but members were not permitted to leave work early to attend outings, although there was testimony indicating that some employees did so. Signode's stationery was used by SMA for memoranda and invitations. Attendance was encouraged through the imposition of dues, but no coercion was exercised. The Commission concluded that the injury did not arise out of and in the course of decedent's employment.

The trial court stated that although the Commission made no finding regarding a causal connection, its finding that the injury did not arise out of or in the course of employment necessarily presupposed a finding of no causal connection. The trial court found that Signode did not derive a substantial business benefit from the SMA golf outing because there...